耳中人

谭晋玄，是县里的生员。他虔诚地相信导引之术，寒暑不停地进行修炼。修炼了几个月，好像有所得。 有一天他正盘腿打坐，听到耳朵里有像苍蝇一样的小声说话，说：“可以见了。”一睁开眼睛就听不到了；闭上眼睛静下心来，又听到和刚才一样。他认为是丹药将要炼成了，暗自高兴。从此每次打坐都能听到。于是他等它再次说话，准备应答来观察它。有一天它又说了。谭就小声应道：“可以见了。”不久觉得耳朵里窸窸窣窣好像有东西出来。微微斜眼一看，是一个三寸来长的小人，相貌狰狞凶恶，像夜叉的样子，在地上旋转。心里暗自惊奇，姑且凝神观察它的变化。忽然有邻居来借东西，敲门呼喊。小人听到后，显得非常慌张，绕着屋子转圈，像老鼠失去洞穴一样。 谭觉得神魂都丢了，也不知道小人到哪儿去了。于是得了癫狂的病，号叫不停，吃药医治了半年，才渐渐痊愈。

Tan Jinxuan was a licentiate of the county. He was a devout believer in the arts of breath control and guidance, practicing them without cease in cold and heat alike. After several months of practice, he seemed to have gained something. One day, as he sat cross-legged in meditation, he heard a faint voice in his ear, like the buzzing of a fly, saying, "Now you may see me." The moment he opened his eyes, the sound ceased; when he closed his eyes and stilled his breath, he heard it again as before. Believing his elixir was about to be perfected, he secretly rejoiced. From then on he heard it every time he sat to meditate. He waited for it to speak again, intending to respond and observe it. One day it spoke again, and he answered softly, "Now you may see me." Presently he felt something stirring in his ear, as if emerging. Glancing sideways, he saw a little man about three inches tall, with a fierce and hideous face like a yaksha, spinning about on the ground. Secretly astonished, he fixed his mind to watch what would happen. Suddenly a neighbor came to borrow something, knocking on the door and calling out. Hearing this, the little man became greatly flustered, running around the room like a rat that had lost its hole. Tan felt as though his very soul had fled, and knew not where the little man had gone. He fell into a mad affliction, shrieking without stop; after half a year of medicine and treatment, he gradually recovered.